Improvement in bomb-lances



o. ALLEN. Bomb-Lance.

Patented Oct. 27, 1863.

Witnesses @Z' NPETUS, PHOTOJJTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. c.-

OLIVER ALLEN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,387, dated October 27, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER ALLEN, a resident of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented an Improved Bomb-Lance for Capturing Whales; and I do hereby declare the same to be full described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, of it. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the expansion-spring, which is situated at or near the vent of the projectile.

The implement termed a bomb-lance is intended, when used, to be inserted in and discharged from a gun or fire-arm.

The nature of my invention or improvements in such an instrument consists as follows, viz: in the combination of a perforated metallic or fire-proof diaphragm with a combustible or wooden fuse-plug and the guard-chamber, to be hereinafter described.

The body A of the bomb lance as constructed by me I usually make in the form of a cylindrical tube of about three-fourths of an inch in diameter and two feet in length. A dischargeable lance-head, B, is so fitted into one end of the tube or body as to be capable of being expelled therefrom by the explosion of the charge of the bomb. A wooden fuseplug, C, containing a fuse, D, is driven firmly into the rear or breech part of the tube A, and occupies about one-third the length of such tube, the space E which remains between the lance-head and such fuse-plug being intended to contain the gunpowder or explosive material to be used in discharging the instrument. The rear end of the fuse-plug terminates at about one inch from the end of the tube A,

and against a metallic or non fusible diaphragm, a, which, after the fuse-plu g may have been inserted in place within the tube, is to be driven into the tube, so as to closely fit it, and remain in position while the fuse may be burning, the said fuse being made to extend through the said diaphragm, and into a guardchamber, 1), formed within a metallic cap, F. The said cap is screwed into the tube, and is constructed with a vent-hole, 0, leading out of the guardchamber. That end of the chamber which is next to the vent-hole I form semispherical or tunneling toward the said hole, as represented in Fig. 2.

The perforated metallic diaphragm operates to prevent the guard-chamber from being choked by carbonaceous matter formed by combustion either of the fuse or the surface of the fire-passage of the fuse-plug. While the guard-chamber protects the fuse from being extinguished by water, which, were the breech of the tube A entirely open, would be likely to enter the tube either during flight of the projectile or while it might be in the body of an animal, the cup-shaped or tunneling end of the fuse-chamber serves to aid the escaping current of gas and smokein freeing the guardchamber from carbonaceous deposits.

I claim- The improved bomb-lance, as having the perforated fire-proof or non-combustible diaphragm a, and a wooden or combustible fuseplug, C, placed within it, and arranged and combined with the fuse D and the guard-chamber b thereof, substantially as described.

OLIVER ALLEN.

Witnesses:

O. W. GHILns, O. CORNELL. 

